Don’t know what i did but my laptop keyboard has suddenly stopped working. Surely there must be a simple solution
Depends on the laptop.
Which you didn’t identify.
Not my laptop. It’s a Microsoft something or other. Scroll pad (?) not working either
Mouse (yes, mouse used with laptop) works fine.
Do you have an external keyboard that you could plug into a USB port to see if that works?
Sounds like a Microsoft Surface, which is laptop-like but is basically a tablet with an optional keyboard.
Let me repeat that: optional keyboard.
In which case, the keyboard has disabled itself (thinking it’s been detached, for instance) and you would be expected to use a tablet-style onscreen keyboard.
It’s a Surface Pro. How do I get it to recognize the keyboard again?
Google says disconnect and reconnect your keyboard. Have you tried that?
I never removed the keyboard and don’t feel confident just yanking it off (not my computer).
Update: I didn’t yank but somewhat jostled the damn thing and now it’s working.
Thanks for help
Like I said, a Surface device isn’t a classic laptop, and the keyboard is intentionally optional. (I believe that in some Surface models, it’s not even included in the box – you pay more for it as an addon.)
But if you didn’t understand the significance of that distinction between a convertible tablet and a true laptop, I imagine the idea of detaching a keyboard would sound like surgery or worse.
I have a surface pro and the keyboard is magnetically attached to the tablet. It is possible for it to appear correctly attached but fail to make contact. Reattaching usually solves any problems.
Of course, the tablet part is touch operated and can be used without the keyboard.
I think you’re saying that it’s an external Microsoft keyboard (perhaps like this one?). If so, I had one and it would connect via Bluetooth but occasionally it would drop the connection and I’d have to re-pair the keyboard to my desktop computer. Eventually, I replaced it with a hardwired keyboard.
I have a tablet-based PC with a keyboard/touchpad that clips on and will never get another one. The clip that holds the two parts together is flimsy and snapped so bumping the ‘screen’ can cause it to lose contact. I also have never used it in tablet mode since the first day I got the thing.
Get a cheap USB keyboard is the best short term solution.
A repair guy should be able to fix for not an outrageous amount.
Dude. Rule 1 of diagnosing issues - Restart the machine.
The Surface pro is well made and the magnet that joins the two parts is pretty strong. I think that magnets are better than clips as they can be separated reasonably easily without damage.
This. Detach, clean the contacts, and reattach.